While a lot of the attention toward VR is pointed at Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or even PlayStation VR, Google wants to remind everyone that when it comes to VR, their Google Cardboard solution is the main way that people are using virtual reality, with their mobile devices. Google says that over 5 million Cardboard viewers have shipped in 19 months. 25 million apps have been installed from Google Play alone, with numbers growing rapidly over time. And games have been 4 of the top 5 apps installed, including the VR version of AaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! ($3.99), *Caaaaardboard!* Google actually reports that 10,000 to 50,000 copies of Caaaaardboard have been sold, so while perhaps Dejobaan isn’t getting rich off of the game yet, there’s a decent amount of interest there.
This news all comes on the heels of analysis saying that light VR solutions like Google Cardboard are going to be the way that most people in the near future experience VR. Not to mention, Google is working on improving the Cardboard audio experience. This isn’t to say that mobile VR is technically superior, but it is going to be the entry-level thing that convinces people to go buy an Oculus or Vive or PlayStation VR or something similar. Not to mention that a VR solution has been on shelves for over a year now in the Gear VR, and it’s a mobile-powered device. That’s not to say that Cardboard VR is better than Vive or Oculus, which are amazing, but Cardboard is a lot better than you think. Ignore mobile VR at your own peril.
